Yes, its that time again, we all look forward to, especially when we have kids, but what is it like at the workplace?
Is there a feeling of a warm festive spirit starting to emerge or is it more than a little bit frosty?
We have got the Christmas tree up already, what about your place?

You're in Izmir, right? As I recall from being there last Christmas, Izmir gets very Christmas-y considering the small number of people you'd actually expect to celebrate it.

Here in Gaziantep, some of my students told me they'd be having a "Christmas Party." I expressed surprise that Christmas was such a big thing here, and it became clear that they only celebrate the "seventh day of Christmas," i.e. New Year's Eve, but translate it as "Christmas." (Which would be a bit like me calling Republic Day "the sixth day of Kurban Bayram" simply because they fell close together this year.) For my school's part, I expect we'll put up a few paper decorations and put out some sweets (if the staff don't, I will), but other than that, I expect it to be business as usual.

Which as a single guy with all his family in a foreign land, is far less depressing than taking the day off. It's weird, but I think I actually miss Thanksgiving more than Christmas.

Yep, they do seem to get their ideas of xmas confused, as a result the 25th passes by unnoticed unless you have a small group of partytypes who feel the need to mark the occasion and want to think of those back home who just might be missing them.
Sadly, a growing number of xpats and efl teachers do not want to celebrate the day(s) or would prefer to just work through it.

'Tisn't the really Russians to blame in this case, but the Greek boys and girls. Fairly adept at being contrary too. And the Greek church is probably the one that the Turks have any sort of contact with.

Fair enough, though the Greeks later recanted and now celebrate Christmas on the 25th.

Oh, by the way, I saw expensive plastic Christmas trees in Migros today. I have no idea who in Migros their target audience is. I assume there are Syrian Christians among the refugee population here, but I don't think they use plastic spruce trees in Aleppo.

I don't think I'd have bought one even if they were reasonably priced. If you can't sacrifice a living plant to Sinterklaas, what's the point? (Also, I didn't see any ornaments to go on the trees, though maybe those are coming.)